Lubricating means for sewing machine loop takers



Dec. 7, 1937. e. M. EAMES ET AL LUBRICATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINE LOOP TAKERS Filed Nov. 3, 1936 Ge 0519a MEWS f Eb bert M Stewart Patented Dec. 7, 1937 PATENT orrlcs LUBRICATING MEANS FOR I SEWING MA CHINE LOQP TAKERS George M. Eames, Bridgeport, and Robert W. Stewart, Fair-field, Coma, assignors to The Singer Manufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 3, 1936, Serial No. 108,938

7 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machine looptakers adapted to cast needle-thread loops about a thread-case, journaled in the loop-taker body and restrained against rotation therewith, the

5 invention having for'its object to provide means,

which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 represents, in side elevation, a verticalaxis loop-taker of a sewing machine and the lower end of the sewing machine needle, the throat-plate and feed-dog of the machine being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the loop-taker. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged section of the loop-taker taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section of the loop-taker and threadcase taken substantially in the plane of the raceway of the loop-taker.

The present invention is preferably embodied in a sewing machine loop-taker of the verticalaxis rotary hook type. As illustrated in the drawing, the sewing machine has the usual work-supporting throat-plate I provided with a feed-slot 2 through which operates a feed-dog 3, said feed-dog in the present case having an aperture- 4 entered by a vertically reciprocatory thread barrying and work-feeding needle 5.

Disposed below the throat-plate l is a looptaker comprising a cup-shaped body 6 having its cylindrical side wall cut away to provide a beak l which cooperates with the needle 5 in seizing thread-loops therefrom, the loop-taker being carried by a vertically disposed shaft 8 rotated by 49 any usual or suitable means in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The inner face of the side wall of the looptaker body 6 is circumferentially recessed to provide an annular raceway 9, in which is journaled the peripheral bearing-rib ill of a thread-case ll, said bearing rib being interrupted to form a thread clearance gap defined by the opposed shoulders l and ID" of the bearing rib. The thread-case II is confined in the loop-taker by 50 a gib l2 which definesa segmental portion of the raceway 9, said gib being detachably secured by screws l3 upon the upper edge or rim I4 of the loop-taker body to provide for assembling the parts. Disposed within the thread-case H is a thread-bobbin l confined therein by a latch-member It. The thread-case also has a nose l1 extending between spaced stop-lugs l8 and i9 at the under side of the throat-plate I, whereby the thread-case is restrained against rotation with the loop-taker.

In order to supply lubricant to the raceway 9, the cylindrical side wall of the loop-taker body near the heel 20 thereof, is provided with a pocket 2| elongated circumierentially of the loop-taker and disposed radially outwardly of the raceway 9. The pocket 2| is closed at its lower end by a plate 22 tightly seated in a shouldered recess 23 in the bottom wall of the loop-taker, while the upper end of the pocket is closed by the side-wall rim I4 integral with the body of .said loop-taker.

A duct 24 connects the front or leading end of the pocket 2| with the raceway 9, said duct extending inwardly and upwardly from the upper inner corner of the .pocket, in a direction inclined to the horizontal plane of the raceway 9, thereby forming an aperture 25 in the inner portion of the rim l4 of the loop-taker. The gib I2 is provided with an aperture 26 disposed vertically above the leading end of the pocket 2 I, said aperture being offset outwardly from the duct-aperture 25 and connected therewith by a channel 21 cut in the under face of the gib. The pocket 2| is preferably provided with a suitable lubricant-conducting material or wick, of felt or the like, which wick extends through the duct 24 into contact with the bearing rib III of the thread-case.

As illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the duct 24 is preferably spaced from the heel 20 of the loop-taker to an extent in excess of the length of the thread-case bearing-rib gap between the shoulders l0 and I0", thereby to guard against snagging the inner opening of'the duct 24 on the shoulder It). It will be understood, in this connection, that when the bearing-rib gap is in alinement with the cutaway portion of the looptaker between the beak l and heel 20 thereof, there might be suflicient play to permit of a slight bodily lateral movement of the threadcase in the loop-taker. In accordance with the present arrangement, when the duct 24 is passing the shoulder III the shoulder I0" is confined by the heel portion 20 of the loop-taker, so that the thread-case cannot move laterally at that time.

Lubricant is supplied to the pocket by introducing it into the gib-aperture 26, which is connected by the channel 21 with the duct 24. Owing to the fact that the duct 24 is disposed at the leading end of and extends radiallyinward from the pocket 2|, the lubricant cannot escape from the pocket under centrifugal action during the operation oi the machine. Furthermore, it is only when the machine operates at slow speed or when it is idle that lubricant is supplied to .the raceway 8 and then only under the oil-feeding action of the wick. Consequently, while the lubricant is supplied sparingly enough to obviate soiling the sewing thread, the lubricant-supply cannot become wastefully exhausted by centrifugal action.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what we claim herein is:-

1. A rotary loop-taker for sewing machines,

comprising a cup-shaped body having its side wall provided with an annular thread-case raceway and with a lubricant-supply pocket disposed radially outwardly of said raceway, said side wall being apertured to provide a ductextending outwardly from said raceway and opening into the inner side of said pocket at the leading end thereof, and a gib detachably secured upon said body and defining a segmental portion of said raceway, said gib, being provided with a filling aperture communicating with the inner end of said duct.

2. A rotary loop-taker for sewing machines, comprising a cup-shaped body having a side wall formed with an annular thread-case raceway and cut away to provide a loop-seizing beak and a flattened rim-portion, said side wall having a lubricant-supply pocket disposed radially outwardly of said raceway, and said side wall having a duct leading inwardly fromsaid pocket at an inclination to the plane of and terminating in said raceway, and a gib detachably secured upon said flattened rim-portion of the loop-taker body and defining a segmental portion of said raceway, said gib being spaced from said pocket by said flattened rim-portion oi. thabody and being provided with an aperture communicating with said duct.

3. A rotary loop-taker for sewing machines, comprising a cup-shaped body formed within its rim with an annular thread-case raceway and provided with a lubricant-supply pocket, said body having a duct extending from the leading end of said pocket to said raceway, a gib detachably secured upon said body and defining a segmental portion of said raceway, said gib having a filling aperture adjacent the leading end of said pocket and being provided in its body-engaging face with a channel extendinginwardly from the gib-aperture to the raceway end of said duct.

' 4. A vertical-axis rotary hook having a cupsha'ped body formed within its rim with-a threadcase raceway and provided with a pocket disposed below and covered by said rim, said body having a wickfilled duct extending upwardly from the leading end of said pocket to said raceway, and a gib detachably secured upon said rim and defining a segmental portion of said raceway.

'5 A vertical-axis rotary hook having a cupshaped body formed within its rim with a substantially horizontal thread-case raceway and provided with a lubricant-supply pocket disposed entirely below said rim and radially outwardly or said raceway, said body having a wick-filled duct extending inwardly from said pocket to said raceway in a direction inclined upwardly to the horlzontal plane of said raceway, and a gib detachably secured upon said rim and having an aperture communicating with said duct to provide for filling said pocket with lubricant.

6. A vertical-axis rotary hook having a cupshaped body formed with a flattened rim and with an annular thread-case raceway, saidbody being provided with a lubricant-supply pocket disposed below said rim and radially outwardly of said ra'ceway, and with a duct extending inwardly from the leading end oi said pocket to said raceway, the inner end of said duct forming an aperture in said rim adjacent said raceway, a gib detachably secured upon said rim and defining a segmental portion of said raceway, said gib having a filling aperture disposed adjacent the leading end of said pocket and radially outwardly 01' said rim-aperture, and means for directing lubricant from said gib-aperture to the inner end of saidduct.

7. A rotary loop-taker for sewing machines, comprising a cup-shaped body having a side wall formed with an annular raceway and cut away to provide a loop-seizing beak and a heel spaced from said beak, said side wall having a lubricantsupply pocket near said heel and a duct extending from the inner side adjacent the leading end of said pocket to said raceway, a thread-case having a peripheral bearing-rib journaled in said raceway, said bearing-rib being interrupted to provide spaced thread-loop arresting and discharging shoulders defining therebetween; a thread-clearance gap, and said duct being spaced from said heel a greater distance than the length of the gap between said shoulders.

GEORGE M. EAMES. ROBERT STEWART. 

